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Maggie: Latest role wasn't easy

Maggie Gyllenhaal had to "process many issues" for her role in The Honourable Woman.

The actress stars in the televised miniseries, which focuses on a woman hoping to promote reconciliation between the Israelis and Palestinians.

It's a contentious topic and Maggie admits she had to do some soul searching in preparation.

'The role wasn't easy. In order to play her, I had to process many issues. I needed to re-educate all of it in my mind. And now I feel emotionally involved," she admitted to New York Post's Page Six.

With the ongoing terror in the Middle East people are understandably worried about expressing an opinion or taking a side.

The 36-year-old star hopes The Honourable Woman will pave the way for people to start a discussion.

'It's complex. Provocative. People are scared to talk about whichever side they believe in," she explained.

"Our scenes are steadily trying for a conversation. Hoping different ways make for talking points and that in some manner, this has some effect. Each episode makes viewers think.

'Maybe even a shifting point of view creates an opening. Maybe we all change our minds. I, personally, of course hope for reconciliation. But I'm just an actress. My job is to hope this starts a dialogue."

Earlier this week One Direction star Zayn Malik angered some of his followers by tweeting the hashtag "#FreePalestine."

The singer subsequently received death threats but also opened up a conversation about the ongoing conflict.

"@zaynmalik ignore hates, you are the definition for YOUR opinion. (sic)," one fan advised the star.